EatingOxford: Exploring The Green Roof Lounge Menu

High above town sits one of Oxford’s newest culinary hangouts.

General manager and chef de cuisine Cameron Bryant sharpened his knives at local restaurants L&M Kitchen & Salumeria and the Ravine before taking the helm at Courtyard by Marriott’s rooftop restaurant Green Roof Lounge last June.
Now, Bryant enjoys creating modern tapas and unique specials that pair perfectly with the restaurant’s imaginative bar menu.
“Our tapas-inspired menu is ideal for groups to share a large variety of dishes as they hang out in one of our comfortable lounge areas,” Bryant said. “We focus on building in as much flavor as we can, so that the dishes make an impression.”
The menu features snacks and sharable plates ranging from $3 dips to $9 steamed mussels and larger dishes ranging from the GRL burger and fries at $11 to a New York strip with potato salad for $26.
“I’m a burger person, and I’m very proud of our GRL Burger, which I eat about once a week,” Bryant said. “Also the Curried Cauliflower and our current Obligatory Green Salad are delicious, refreshing and healthy.”
For those who enjoy a good cocktail after work or over Saturday brunch, you won’t be disappointed. Bryant said that Mason Payne, the Green Roof Lounge’s bar manager, has come up with some delicious and creative spins on classic cocktails, such as the Tiger Lily, his version of a margarita, and the Iron Horse, his version of a Moscow mule.
“The real key is that just like with the food, our bar makes and infuses as much as they can in-house,” Bryant said. “Like our ginger-infused vodka that gives the Iron Horse its kick.”
Regulars to Green Roof Lounge will notice slight menu changes around twice per month depending on ingredient offerings.
“Our menu does change, but not on a regular schedule,” Bryant said. “We feature chef’s specials each day that we announce on a chalkboard in the hotel lobby and post on social media. These offerings vary, but always include a fresh seafood offering.”
Past chef’s specials have included dishes such as smoked whitefish crostini, curried cauliflower soup, smoked duck breast salad, foie gras sliders and stuffed lamb belly.
For brunch, Green Roof Lounge has chosen to open on Saturday as opposed to Sunday.
“I like that brunch is on Saturday because it gives you a day to recover before having to go back to work,” Bryant said. “The brunch menu is heavily inspired by my time working mornings in Brooklyn, with dishes such as smoked whitefish crostini, the frittata, and polenta and poached eggs.”
Bryant said that the brunch cocktails are also pretty amazing.
“The Pink Cadillac is a grapefruit mojito, and the Coffee and Donut is iced coffee with chocolate-and-caramel-infused vodka topped with a fresh house-made donut as garnish,” he said. 
Green Roof Lounge, inside the Courtyard Marriott Oxford at 305 W. Jackson Ave., is open Tuesdays through Thursdays 5 to 10 p.m., Fridays from 3 to 11 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, find Green Roof Lounge on Facebook or call 662-638-6017.

Liz Barrett Foster is the EatingOxford editor for HottyToddy.com, an award-winning business journalist and author of the recently published Pizza: A Slice of American History. Liz ran the popular restaurant information site EatingOxford.com from 2009 to 2015. Liz can be reached at liz.foster@hottytoddy.com.
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